A 'Sancai'-Glazed 'Fu Lion' Pillow Jin dynasty

the green-glazed ruyi-shaped headrest carved in low-relief with a bird amidst gingko leaves on a ground of punched circles, the characters guo er reserved in a rectangular panel, supported on a stand superbly modeled as a recumbent lion biting the tassel of a brocade ball, the beast glazed in a similar tone of iridescent green with its long mane and tufts glazed in amber, the tassels in cream

Sotheby's New York, 3rd December 1986, lot 231.
Thereafter with the present owners.

The pillow is in good overall condition. It was inspected under UV light, which revealed repainting to the tip of the lion's nose and right cheek. There was fluorescence to three small areas at the front edge of the pillow (side of the brocade ball), and is either repainting or restoration of old chips. A very thin 2 1/2 inch scratch to the glaze on the left side of the pillow, near the inscription. Some areas of the glaze degraded to a silvery iridesence, particularly at the creases. The green color is a little more muted than the catalogue image suggests.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present lion-form pillow is closely related to a green-glazed pillow in the collection of the Western Han Nanyue King's Tomb Museum in Guangzhou illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji, vol. 9, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 215, similarly attributed to the Jin Dynasty. Compare also a sancai-glazed lion-form pillow with a ruyi-shaped headrest included in Sekai toji zenshu, vol. 13, Tokyo, 1981, fig. 279, together with two further examples of Jin period pillows of different shapes, fig. 277, from the Tokyo National Museum, and fig. 280, from the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm.

In its form this pillow appears to be inspired by 'Cizhou' lion-form pillows, for example see one in the Shanxi Provincial Museum published in Zhongguo taoci quanji, op.cit., pl. 172; and another in the Shanghai Museum, ibid., pl. 167.

For earlier examples of lion-form pillows from the Liao period see one excavated in Banyan'erdeng township, Balin Right Banner, and now in the collection of the Museum of Balin Right Banner, included in the exhibition Gilded Splendor. Treasures of China's Liao Empire (907-1125), Asia Society and Museum, New York, 2006, cat. no. 111. Notes on the Balin pillow, ibid., p. 346, mention that historical texts show that during the Tang dynasty auspicious meanings were attached to pillows in animal forms. The Jiu Tang shu (Old History of the Tang Dynasty) mentions pillows in the shape of a leopard head being used to ward off evil spirits, and pillows in the shape of a crouching bear being used to promote fertility. Pillows were possibly made as offerings to the dead because of their auspicious connotations.